Team Sky reveal new white kit for 2018 season

Team Sky have revealed their new kit for the 2018 season, moving away from a black jersey for the first time in their history.

The new design draws inspiration from the white and blue jersey that the team used at the 2017 Tour de France, but with a broad blue band across the middle of the jersey similar to that used on the team's original 2010 kit.

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The back of the jersey still features the blue line that has been a feature of every kit in the team's history, while the dashed "data pattern" (which represent the team's many victories) is retained from the 2017 design, the dashes on the back of the jersey representing the team's results between 2010 and 2016, and those on the front showing the results from 2017.

Italian clothing manufacturer Castelli has produced the new kit for the second year in a row, with team manager Dave Brailsford saying that the decision to switch to a white jersey for 2018 season was based on positive feedback from fans to the team's 2017 Tour kit.

"We initially changed to white jerseys for the Tour de France last summer, and it was the feedback from riders and the response from our fans that inspired us to go white for the 2018 season," Brailsford said.

"Our ambition is for our riders to have the leading performance clothing in the peloton, and we believe that the 2018 kit is our best yet."

Team Sky have become the fifth WorldTour to unveil their kit for the 2018 season, after Movistar went for light blue, Dimension Data stayed with white and green, EF Education First-Drapac went to white and pink, and Lotto-Soudal remained largely unchanged.

The first chance to see riders in action in the new kit should be at the People's Choice Classic, the prelude criterium to the Tour Down Under on January 14.